Lead -Impact Environmental Research Grants

Opening date: 22 July 2025 9:00am UK time

Closing date: 21 January 2026 4:00pm UK time

Last updated: 21 July 2025 -

Apply for funding to pursue an ambitious, high risk and high reward curiosity-driven project in environmental research.

You must be:

• based at a UK research organisation eligible for Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funding
• in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements

We welcome:

• multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
• projects delivered in partnership with other research funders and users

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £950,000. We will fund 80% of the FEC.

There is no defined project duration, but awards are usually between three and four years.

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. .

Before applying for funding, check the following:

• , if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

This funding opportunity is open to research groups and individuals.

Your research project must address a significant environmental science question, but we welcome applications from individuals who can demonstrate a capability to collaborate with experts from other disciplines to generate innovative research.

We:

• encourage multidisciplinary research and collaborations with other UK organisations
• welcome applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to the UKRI eligibility criteria

You may be involved in no more than two applications submitted to this funding opportunity. Only one of these can be as a project lead.

Project partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.

Demand management measurements are applied to the Pushing the Frontiers scheme. As such, there are restrictions on how many applications some research organisations can make. See that will apply to this funding opportunity.

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have previously been submitted to UKRI.